1. (NU) - These days it’s popu-
lar to talk about 40 being the new
30. Unfortunately, this does not
apply to a woman’s fertility,
which peaks in her 20s, then de-
clines in her 30s.
One option for fertility preser-
vation that has been getting a lot of
attention recently is egg freezing.
Historically, egg freezing was an
option for young women with
medical problems. Now, women
who do not have major health
problems but are considering de-
laying having a family are won-
dering if egg preservation could be
a potential option for them.
Human oocyte cryopreserva-
tion (egg freezing) is a novel tech-
nology done in conjunction with
invitrofertilization(IVF),inwhich
a woman’s eggs are extracted,
frozen and stored. Later, when she
is ready to try and become preg-
nant, the eggs may be able to be
thawed, fertilized and transferred
to the uterus as embryos.
Pei Lin Kim decided to freeze
her eggs at the age of 34. She says,
“After consulting with my physi-
cian, I decided to freeze my eggs
so that if I experience infertility is-
sues when I decide that the time is
right for me to have children, I
may have another option that
could help me start a family.”
Success rates of IVF with
thawed eggs depend on many fac-
tors, such as the woman’s age and
fertility potential at the time of
freezing, successful thawing and
a successful IVF procedure.
There is no guarantee that the
process results in being able to
have a healthy baby.
Pei Lin’s doctor, David Ryley,
MD of Boston notes, “While egg
preservation is not guaranteed to
lead to childbirth, just as no in-
fertility treatment is guaranteed a
positive outcome, more women
are considering the procedure.
Women must weigh pros and
cons based on personal circum-
stances and should consult with
their doctor to learn about their
fertility potential, risks of delayed
childbirth, risks associated with
the procedure -- including med-
ications -- and facts associated
with elective egg freezing.”
The American Society of Re-
productive Medicine does not
currently recommend egg freez-
ing for patients who wish to de-
lay childbirth due to insufficient
data on the efficacy and safety of
this procedure for these patients.
For more information see
www.MyEggFreezing.com.
Could Egg Freezing
Be Right forYou?
WOMEN
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